Automatic angle-indicator



J. R. LACKLAND.

AUTOMATIC ANGLE INDICATOR. APPLICATION FILED "MAY 6. 1919.

Patented July 13, 1920.

2 SHEETS-SHEET l.

J. R. LACKLAND.

AUTOMATIC ANGLE INDICATOR. APPLICATION- FILED MAY 6. 1919.

Lfi fiiiu t d uly 13, 1920..

. Z SHEETS-SHEET 2. i l7 JAMES REGINALD LACKLANID, 0F GRESTON, IOWA.

AUTOMATIC AN GLE INTlICATOR.

Specification of Letters Patent. Patented J l 13 1920 Application filed MayB, 1919. Serial No. 295,141.

To all w from it may concern} Be it known that I, JAMns REGINALD LAGKLAND, a citizen of the United States, residing at Creston, in the county of Union and State of Iowa, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Automatic Angle-Indicators, of which the following is a specification.

The present invention relates to automatic angle indicators and is directed particularly to the provision of a device for use on aeroplanes to indicate the degree of lateral inclination and the diving or climbing angle thereof.

. The device is characterized by the use of a ball-bearing supported by two fixed pivots rigidly attached to the aeroplane. The inner ring of this bearing is movable and carries pointers and a counterweight which maintains it constantly vertical. The pointers are located in front of scales 011 the external ring with which they cooperate to indicate the degree of lateral inclination. A graduated sector, rigidly attached to the aeroplane and located in a plane perpendicular to that of the ball-bearing, cooperates with pointers on the ball-bearing to in dicate by the movements of the bearing, the degree of inclination in climbing or in diving.

Further objects of the invention will appear from consideration of the following description taken in conjunction with the drawings, which latter illustrate an embodiment of the invention, like numerals therein indicating the same parts throughout the several views, of which 2- Figure 1 represents a front elevation of the device,

Fig. 2, a side elevation,

Fig. 3, a vertical section taken on line 3-3 of Fig. 2,

Fig. 1, a plan view,

Fig. 5, a vertical section taken through the center of the swinging portion of the device, showing the relation of the several parts thereof.

The device consists essentially of a ballbearing provided with two rings 1 and 2, pivoted in the extension of its horizontal diameter on a semi-circular support 3 by means of screws 4 and 5 provided with lock nuts 6 and 7 respectively. The support 3 is provided at its center with a connecting plate 8 which is adapted to be secured to the instrument board of the aeroplane. In

order to facilitate the rotary movements of r ng 2 which is located concentrically within ring 1, there are provided a number of balls 9 1n the space which separates the two rings, the balls being retained in place by means of corresponding peripheral grooves on the inner and outer faces of ring 1 and ring 2, respectively. Ring 2 is provided with a horizontal diametral bar 10 carrying at its ends two stirrups 11 and 12. The lower ends of these stirrups on one side of the ballbearing are attached to a weight 13, while those on the other side are attached to a weightla. It will thus be seen that these two weights 13 and 14 serve to ballast the assemblage of the ball-bearing, and tend to hold it in the vertical position. Ring 1 of the bearing is provided on the upper half of the front face thereof with a scale, the graduations of which are so arranged that the zero indication comes at the topmost point of the ring, as shown in Fig. 1. The lower half of the same face of ring 1 is marked in red, or with some other distinguishing marking (as shown by hatched lines in Fig. 1), while on the rear face of ring 1, the scale is located on the lower half of the ring with the zero indication at the lowermost point thereof and the portion marked in red on the upper half of the ring.

The purpose of this will appear later. Bar.

10 is provided at its center with two pointers 15 and 16, rigidly attached at right angles thereto and the ends of which may move freely about the periphery of ring 1.

Above the ball-bearing, there is arranged a sector 17 provided with graduations on each side thereof and attached at its rear extremity to plate 8 transversely of the ballbearing. The two scales on member 17 have their zero points at the topmost point thereof, with the scale graduations running down on either side. Ring 1 is provided on its periphery at the top thereof with pointers 18 and 19, and at the bottom with pointers 20 and 21, adapted to cooperate with the scales on "sector 17 to indicate the angular relation of the ball-bearing thereto.

The device being attached to the instrument board of the aeroplane in the manner indicated in Fig. 2, the slightest inclination of the aeroplane, either to the left or to the right, or from the front to the rear, or from the rear to the front, will be immediately indicated in the former case by the movement of pointer 15 in front of the scale on the upper half of the front face of ring 1,

and by that of pointers 18 and 19 in front of the scale on each side of member 17 in the case of the'latter, and thedegrees corresponding to these movements easilyrea ofi' l Vhen pointers 15 and 18, 19 are at zero on ringl and sector 17, respectively, the

aviator is certain that his plane is flying with perfectly horizontal keel. y

Should the aeroplane be reversed, 2'. 0., fly upsidedown, the appearance of the portions of ring 1, which are markedin cred,

behind'either pointer 15 or pointer 16, will indicate the reversal to the aviator and be a warning to him that he is in danger.

W 1111c the details of constructlon have been described more or less prec1sely,-1t is "not intended that the scope of the invention 7 be limited'thereto, as changes in form, the proportion of parts, and the substitution of "to maintain'the bearing in a vertical posi- "tion, polnter means rigidly attached to the inner ring of isaid ball-bearing, the outer ring of the bearlng having graduations wlth which said pointer means are adapted to cooperate, a graduated sector rigidly attached to said supporting means and lying in a plane perpendlcular to that of said ballbearlng, and polnter means on the outer ring of said bearing adapted to cooperate with the graduations on said sector.

2. In an automatlc angle indicator, the combinatlon of a ball-bearing, provided with a ring having an eccentrically located Weight and with pointer-means and a second ring provided with graduations for cooperation with sa d pointer means, means for pivotally supporting s'aidsecond ring to turn about one of its diameters, additional pointer means located on said last named ring, and

' means located in a plane perpendicular to that of the ball-bearing and provided with graduations with which said additional pointer means are adapted to cooperate.

- 3. In an automatic angle indicator, thecombination' of a ballebearing, provided with a ring graduated on one half of one face thereof and provided with a distinguishing marking on the other face thereof, a distinguishing marking on the other half of the first mentioned face of said ring and graduations on the other face of that half of the ring, a second'ring having an eccentrically located weight and polnter means forming part of said ball-bearing, .sald

pointermeans being adapted to cooperate with the graduations and markings on said first mentioned ring, and means for attaching said bearing to the'object the inclination of which is to be indicated. 7 i V In testimony whereof I have affixed my signature. 1 a

JAMES REGINALD LACKLAND. 

